Krillin and 18, See you Around
by ZeroBeatXII
Summary: Exploring the period in between the Cell and Buu saga; focusing on the growing relationship between Krillin and Android 18
1. Chapter 1

It had been a hard time for Krillin. The past few weeks should have been joyous; Gohan miraculously defeated Cell, his victims were revived by Shenron, and by all means the world was at peace. Yet in spite of all this, the most important person to Krillin wouldn't be coming back. It was not that Goku hadn't died before, but this time he was defiantly not coming back.

Perhaps he could've handled it better if he hadn't had his heart broken at the exact same time. Why had she become so angry with him? Krillin was just trying to help her, yet she always threw it back in his face. Maybe he was just kidding himself; how many weeks had it been since she told him "See you around"? Obviously she hadn't meant it to be taken as literally as he had. Thinking about it, he had never really expected her show up at Kame House out of the blue. Krillin gave a heavy sigh;

"I just want to know she's doing okay" He muttered to himself

Krillin gazed down to meet his reflection, staring back at him from the ocean's surface. Flying home from Dende's lookout always gave him time to think. Yet he struggled to keep his mind off the beautiful android; who had kissed him on that road in what seemed a lifetime ago. Perhaps he was just lonely; his best friend was dead, and he was lucky if he saw Gohan more than the rare occasion he escaped his Mother. It wasn't as if Piccolo and Vegeta were the talkative type, and was Maron really the last time he had dated anyone? If Krillin was certain of anything, more so than ever before, he was truly alone.

Krillin's reflection was fractured as the rain fell, hitting the ocean's surface hard.

"Just my luck" Krillin moaned; it was times like these he wished he grew his hair out.

Suddenly, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye; something that made him stop dead in his tracks and his stomach tense. There she was, on the edge of an island, sitting on top of a large rock: Android 18. Krillin would've been surprised that she seemingly appeared just when he was thinking about her, if not for how frequently she was on his mind.

He hung there, floating in the rain, staring at the woman he wanted most to see yet he couldn't bring himself to move. She was staring out into the distance, should he go and talk to her? He couldn't imagine her exactly being overjoyed to see him. But still...

Krillin took in a deep breath and made his way towards her. 

* * *

><p>Android 18 had kept herself busy since the 'incident' on the lookout. She had overheard how they wished for the revival of Cells victims; that meant somewhere her brother was alive. Yet she found looking for him was much more of a chore than it should be.<p>

For one, it had been weeks and she had not found any trace of 17; he was defiantly out there, yet he was almost certainly avoiding her... but why? It was infuriating.

But it wasn't just that, searching for him allowed her to keep her mind off what was really troubling. Why had that little man... Krillin... gone to such lengths to help them? It must be some kind of trap. It must be. Who in their right mind would help those who were practically 'created' to destroy them? It was a pathetic excuse for a trap, and she'd be damned if she fell for it.

But she was hiding from something, lying to herself; this hadn't been the only time Krillin had looked out for her. If it was a trap then why did he defend them when he didn't know she was around? More importantly, Krillin could have killed her. He had the device, it would've been better for everyone... but he didn't. It gave 18 an odd sensation, she couldn't put her finger on it; it was why she tried so hard to avoid thinking out it.

_I won't let my guard down_

_Why though? Is he really a threat?_

_I'm not so sure._

_He saved my life_

_Yeah only for Cell to get me right afterwards._

_Does that matter? Think about how much they've done for us. What he's done._

_There must be another motive._

_This doesn't make sense!_

"Raghhhh!" 18 yelled out in frustrated, throwing a ball of energy, subsequently shatter a nearby rock into a thousand tiny pieces

What the hell was going on? 18 wasn't sure, but she knew she didn't like it. Breathing heavily, she slowed down and flew over to a nearby island. 18 had never been the sentimental type; but sitting back and looking out at the vast sea surrounding her allowed her mind to become calm once again. She must have been sitting there for a good few minutes, just enjoying the simple pleasure of not thinking. Tiny droplets of rain hit against her soft face; it felt good to feel something. It was times like these that brought 18 back to the time before everything had changed. Yet she was not allowed to indulge in the moment, before too long something surprising brought her back into the real world.

"Rrgh... Not him!" She muttered in disbelief. She had sensed a strong power source approaching her; it was none other than that man, Krillin, of all people. 18 instinctively wanted to fly far away, but something held her back. The thought of seeing him again... did she actually want to? No, that won't be it; she just doesn't want to run away from such a weakling.

He was close, too close. 18 made a strong effort to not look at him, it was surprisingly hard. She pretended that she didn't notice him, keeping her eyes firmly fixed out on the sea in front of her. She could feel his eyes staring at her, why was he still there? 18 was at a loss at what to do: she didn't want to move for sure. But did she want him to leave... or did she want him to come over? The idea sent shivers down her spin; but before she could make up her mind, she felt his presence come closer to her.

_Why's he moving so slowly?_

The tension was starting to get to 18; she could almost feel herself start to go red. Every second it took him to get to her was tediously long and made 18 more tense.

_Just say something for God's sake!  
><em>  
>Just as Krillin opened his mouth to greet her; 18 bit down on her lip hard and shouted louder than she intended;<br>"What do you think you're doing here?" she breathed heavily and stared at the shocked expression of the man who had approached her.

Krillin was awestruck, he didn't expect a friendly greeting, but it wasn't as if Vegeta had ever exploded at him for just saying 'Hello'. 18 on the other hand had come to expect such a fumbling reaction from him; her anger cooled and she regained her composure.

"Well? Are you going to tell me?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Erm... W-well you see... You looked kinda lonely and I thought..." Krillin's voice trailed off into a mumble; did he really just say that? The more he thought about what he was doing, the more embarrassed he got. Several excruciatingly awkward seconds crawled by; this really wasn't the first impression he was hoping to make. The sound of rain colliding with the calm sea filled the silence betwixt the two. Krillin meekly hung in the air, hoping she would end this silent torture; yet she retained her fixated stare as if deep in thought.

Krillin felt the tight knot in his stomach drag his expectations; trapped by the awkward situation, ensnared by the embrace 18s cold eyes, he couldn't make up his mind whether he found it charming or scary. 18's eyebrows fell sharp indicating her increased annoyance. Krillin swallowed hard. Defiantly scary...

* * *

><p>18 had never experienced such a social situation such as this before; one of the many prices paid when her life was stolen away by Dr. Gero. 18 took notice on how she had obviously intimidated the small man; how pathetic. She closed her eyes and gave a heavy sigh<p>

_This was really the guy who "saved" her? Where'd he find the backbone?  
><em>"Enough of this, you came to me for a reason, now spit it out" 18 resumed her stare with harsh intensity as she spat out those words. She was fully aware of her attitude, yet there was something absurd about his mere existence that both irritated, and intrigued her. However she wanted to be alone, for now at least. Yet the presence of somebody, anybody, after so long weighed her down; this irritated her more than anything.  
><em>What was she doing?<br>Why was she still in this situation?  
>What would she have done before?<br>Leave before he managed to get a word in?  
>Attack him? Kill him?<em>  
>She stopped; the thought made 18 feel sick for some reason<p>

"If you're going to continue like this then count me out" 18 bluntly stated, trying to keep any of her inner turmoil from showing. She paused for a second; whether it was to give Krillen a chance to stop her, or whether she was genuinely interested in whether he would do anything at all, even she didn't know. Letting out yet another heavy sigh, she rose to her feet and turned her back to him. 18 couldn't help but notice herself avoiding eye contact as she moved.  
>She had barely gotten off the rock when she heard a faint voice exclaim:<br>"I-I'll see you around!"  
>18 cringed: holding back. Yet she allowed herself to tilt her head and give a small nod before shooting off into the setting sun.<p>

* * *

><p>Krillin remained still for a few seconds, allowing the now louder rain to surround him, and the cold breezes engulf him. His eyes remained fixated on the far off point 18 had disappeared to; hoping to see what was no longer there. He was alone once again; despite her vicious stare, Krillin reminisced how he stared deep into her eyes. There was somthing hidden behind those eyes. Perhaps... she was as alone as he was.<p>

Krillin swallowed his sadness and looked towards the now visible moon.  
><em>Next time... I'm going to be better<br>_He was certain he'd have another chance. Krillin remembered his last words to 18; he had had to say them. For there was no way he'd have let her leave without the promise that they would be together once more. 

_((Gone through and changed both chapters to be written and generally flow better. Chapter 3 soon, I want to make it a longer one. Thanks for the patience!))_


	3. Chapter 3

The long summer days stretched on as the bright sun hung brightly in the sky, not a cloud daring to block the harsh sunlight falling upon the pink walls of Kami House. The scenic blue ocean faded into a clear crystal as the waves lapped the soft sands of the shore. Sometimes they would bring small coruscations to the island, who would frantically scuttle back and forth before being gently nudged back into the ocean, least they disrupt the calmness of the crisp evening.  
>"You know, your mother will get upset if you go home covered in wet sand" Krillin called over to Gohan as he stared upwards into the unbroken blue of the sky.<br>"Yeah, but she gets upset about a lot of stuff" Gohan chuckled as he wiped the sand off his fingers and onto his cheap suit.  
>"How'd your entrance exam go anyway?" Krillin asked as his friend resumed the spot next to him<br>"I dunno, probably good. I'm just glad to be done so I can get back to training." Gohan beamed, a fist outstretched to the sky "Dad asked me to be the protector of the earth, after all! Like a superhero!" His already large smile grew wider at the thought and he silently chuckled to himself. Gohan was now starting to show the effects of becoming a teenager; he was noticeably taller and thinner, with the odd battle scar to mark past struggles. He had sure been through a lot in his few years, but he was still a kid at heart. Just like Goku, Krillin thought.  
>"You say that, but after entrance exams comes school, after school comes a job." Krillin teased "Then you'll get married and have kids, when are you going to find the time?"<br>Gohan sprang upright "Y-you don't think I won't be able to train do you?"  
>Krillin let out a hearty chuckle "I'm just messing with you. Heck, Goku did all of that and still managed to save the world more times than I'd care to count!"<br>Gohan let out a relieved sigh and flopped back onto the warm sand. Of course, Goku never went to school and had a lot more leverage with ChiChi than her son will, Krillin thought to himself. Though he relented from saying it, no point in worrying Gohan about the inevitable. Instead he smiled to himself, and continued to waste the day away chatting with his old friend.

The day passed by and the warm sun eventually sank behind the waves of the horizon, dying the sky with lush pinks and oranges.  
>"Well, I'd better get back and tell Mum how it went" Gohan said, finishing the meal Master Roshi had haphazardly thrown together for him. "Thanks for the food Roshi!"<br>The old man peered above his lewd magazines and cackled "Anytime my boy! You know you're always welcome here!"  
>"See you later Krillin!" Gohan yelled, and with a quick wink he shot off into the colourful sky.<br>"He's good boy that one! He reminds me so much of Goku when he was younger" Roshi pondered outloud "That Chichi better give him a break though! Strength comes through consistency ! If she's not careful, where will he be next time a giant monster tries to kill us all, ey? hahaha!"  
>Krillin chuckled "I think the worst is behind us. Besides, anything that reminds you of young Goku should remind you of old Goku haha"<br>"You're right, that boy stayed the same on the inside no matter how much older his outside got!" Roshi laughed  
><em>Goku...<em>  
>Krillin smiled, everyone had taken to reminiscing about him throughout the summer. It was hard not to, he may have been Krillin's best friend but there wasn't a single person in the world who hated Goku. Well, maybe one single person...<br>Gohan's visit had raised Krillin's spirits as usual, though he was still only able to see him once in every while. He thought about what they had talked about; school, jobs, wife, family. He didn't have any of those. He came close to marrying once, but his own defeatist attitude got the better of him. He looked over to Roshi and shuddered a bit. Don't get him wrong, Roshi was always very happy with his life, but was it really the path Krillin saw himself on?  
>He stared out into the calm sea, and his thoughts swayed to her. It had been weeks since they last saw each other. He hadn't given up hope he would see her again but the days were passing slowly. The summer was becoming long in the tooth and he grew lonely and restless. His thoughts strayed to another girl; Marion. How he let her slip through his fingers, how his own self-doubt made her disappear from his life.<br>Quietly, he stood up and marched into Kami house. _Not this time_, he thought, _I'm not waiting around while she slips away from me._ Picking up and dialling the phone he heard a familiar cheery voice.  
>"Hello, this is Capsule Corp! I'm sorry but this is our private numb- Oh, hey Krillin! What do you need?"<br>"Hey Bulma, I need you to help me find someone!"

* * *

><p>18 lay her tired body against the cool, hard texture of the rock behind her. Night had fallen, bringing the end to yet another fruitless summers day. She angrily bit into a freshly picked orange and chewed the juicy flesh viciously. The continents were strong and refreshing, but hardly satisfying. 18 couldn't even remember the last time she had eaten meat. It was sometime during the period she, 17 and 16 had travelled across the land searching for Goku. Back then they had just taken any food they wanted by force, though 16 had always remained indifferent since he never ate.<p>

Thinking about this got her mind back on 17, she knew he was alive and that he was out there somewhere. She squished the orange in her hand, it was starting to feel more and more like he was actively hiding from her. The idea stirred an even greater irritation within her. Why would he be hiding? All they had was each other, it's all they had ever had! Was he in trouble? Hurt?  
>She now realised the once plump orange had been turned to mush escaping the iron grip of her clenched fist. Aware of how worked up she had made herself, 18 breathed heavily and wiped the remains of the orange on the ground. She cursed Dr. Gero's incompetence; he stole them away and turned them into powerful killing machines, yet was unable to remove the need for food? <em>Bastard, <em>she swore under her breath.  
>18 thought about taking a large amount of food from the village resting at the bottom of the grassy hill. But something stayed her hand. It was the same something that had been bothering her all summer. The voice of that ridicules man echoed in her mind:<br>_"Well, you're better than that 18. You're not the person Gero tried to make you"  
><em>18 gritted her teeth slightly; yeah that's probably exactly what he'd say.  
><em>"Y-y'know I was just saying! Y-you can do anything you want r-right?"<em>  
>Oh yeah, that's definitely something he'd say, 18 thought to herself. A cool wind rustled the deep green leaves of nearby trees, gently detaching some from their branches and silently carrying them into the distance. As the breeze blew past 18, she realised she was smiling.<br>Why was she smiling?  
>It was that man. There was something about him; his complete lack of backbone... and his courage to stand up for those he cares about regardless. Yes, that was defiantly something she liked about him.<br>No, wait. Of course she didn't like him.  
>Of course not.<br>Just... amused.  
>In a way she pitied the man... <em>Krillin<em>.  
>Smiling once again, 18 began to get back up.<br>"Alright then." 18 stated to herself "No more lying around. First, I'm going to hunt some food to eat. Then, I'm going to hunt you down 17"


End file.
